I'm contemplating a switch in my regular stay chain in 2010. I've been a Marriott guy for a few years, using SPG and HH Amexes to keep Gold in both of those programs and doing one-off stays when Marriott doesn't work.

In 2010 and 2011, my stay profile is changing a bit. It appears that I will have many 1-night stays to the Dallas area, likely one of the suburbs like Irving or Plano. (Exact location is TBD but I'm pretty sure I won't be in downtown Dallas.) I will also have my usual moderate number of other leisure stays...usually weekends in bigger cities.

This will be related to an educational program partly paid by work and partly paid by me. So cost does matter somewhat. I am generally comfortable in a midscale hotel like Aloft, HGI, Courtyard, etc. I would consider something new like Hyatt Place or Element.

It's not a situation where I feel the need to Priceline or stay in a roadside motel - just saying I don't need an FS property. I don't need a huge amount of elite recognition on the 1-night stays: traveling solo, already have my own mobile broadband, am capable of grabbing a bagel outside the hotel if breakfast is not provided. I'll have the advantage that many of the stays will be Friday nights, so I should be able to usually get favorable rates.

On the rewards side of things, I would definitely want to redeem at the full service brands, including "resorts" in some cases, and have a meaningful elite status with good benefits.

Off the top of my head, I'm seeing the following as my leading choices:

(1) SPG. I've never held SPG Plat, so I believe they'd status match my MR Plat. I've stayed at Dallas-area Alofts before and generally liked them.

(2) Hilton. Lots of options and price points. More backups if I hit a "peak" date and need to go downmarket a bit. I'm Gold now, could be Diamond if I focus on the Surpass card.

(3) Hyatt. Could get acquainted with Hyatt Place - looks like a good concept for a suburban brand. Does Hyatt treat all stays as equal in terms of hitting status levels? What about their other suite brands?

(4) Marriott. I guess if I stuck to Marriott, I'd log 35 actual nights and keep Gold status going. I won't be doing 60 of these trips each year and not sure how many other Marriott EQN I'll have. MR has the same advantage as HH - tons of backup properties both upmarket and downmarket. But there are a lot of tired Courtyards out there.

(5) Other? I know things like Choice and Priority Club have good promotions and redemption opportunities at luxury hotels, but I don't know how many bad motel nights I'm willing to endure to get there. I'd have to be convinced there are some excellent properties for my paid stays before going this route. Maybe the Indigo brand? I've never done it...

Thoughts?